Video for eCommerce. Three tips for getting it right.

Jay is a digital marketer and producer whose creative and technical skills have developed digital brand strategies and sales campaigns using a range of complex internet applications from stand-alone websites through to Facebook API integrations.

What do consumers expect today? A visually engaging eCommerce experience that manages to make them feel like it’s also personalised and aimed at them. This is especially relevant among those of the millennial age bracket, born 1980-late 90’s, also known as the “YouTube generation”.

A recent study from Digiday found that 52% of consumers said that watching videos makes them more confident about their purchase decisions. However, people are not just more confident about buying a product, they’re also more likely to share the product. Invodo states that 92 percent of mobile video viewers share videos with others. And we all know that mobile marketing is bound to keep growing. So yes, video is and will be a vital element of any digital marketing strategy.

Incorporating video into your eCommerce online store shouldn’t replace anything that you have already but rather it should be used to complement what you already have. Although there’s no rules set in stone on how you can use video, there are best practices and crucial tips you should pay attention to. Here they are, in no particular order:

RUNNING TIME

Always try to keep your video running time short, preferably under a minute long. The watch time should be quick, unless your product is highly specialised or technical.

That is why you need to keep it relatively short. The shorter the video, the more likely someone will stay to watch to the end.

A good example I found comes from a video made by Patagonia, an online store that caters to outdoor adventurers. They did an incredible job of keeping it under 2 minutes despite the fact that a lot of their products are quite technical (by getting more visual). Have a look:

Wasn’t the video informative and to the point? It most likely held your attention for the full minute.

NO FILTERS

Just because filters may work well for your personal videos on IG does not mean they will work well for your product videos. No need to get all fancy or artsy because the important base is to work on positioning your product in the best way possible. For example, below is a screenshot of how Asos uses video for their products. They use no filters or gimmick, just a model walking. The point of their video is to show what the product looks like in every day life. Advice: Don’t use filters that manipulate the way your product looks, keep it genuine.

QUALITY

Product videos should be shot in a way that highlights the product as honestly as possible. This requires backgrounds and sets to highlight the product without overselling what it can do or how it works. On the other hand if the video is too plain, the product could come out looking cheap.

If possible, hire a professional or maybe rent professional equipment that you can use and research how to put together a professional looking video. Great lighting and a great setup will make all the difference. Check out these guys for those specific tips, they’re awesome: Wistia.

Just look at how simple Patagonia’s product video was. A simple wood background, the product is nicely displayed on a mannequin and a person is articulating the product specs clearly. It doesn’t need to be complicated.

IT’S A WRAP

If you haven’t already, start a youtube channel for your service/business and start crafting videos with these tips. It’s a smart way to really build a community around your brand and get people sharing. And people will share. For example take a look at these stats from The Crazy Egg blog:

In 2013 more than 700 YouTube videos were shared every minute on Twitter

More than 500 videos were watched daily on Facebook.

Whether you use video to show a product or tell your story, the information you share needs to be engaging. Online shoppers want merchants to be honest about their products. The closer you can present your product to what it looks like in real life, the closer you will be to converting visitors.

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